When Thoughts Are Constellations
by FallinApart
Summary: Maggie always dreamed of that the great mad man in a box would somehow come and save her from her monotonous life. There was only one fallback. He was only fiction. Or is he?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. I do not own Doctor Who, or any of the characters in it, as much as I would love to. This is an OC story, but I solemnly swear that I will try my hardest not to create a Mary-Sue. Please keep an open mind, and feel free to review, but preferably not in the form of any flames. :) I'm always open to suggestions and constructive criticism. **

_"Look at the stars. Oh, how they shine for you, and everything you do."_

- Coldplay, _Yellow_

* * *

><p>The ground was damp, and the sun had begun to settle behind the tree-bearing hills. Still, the sky glowed with the last embers of the day.<p>

A curly haired girl sat cross-legged on the slight slope of a hill that had a great overlook of the sunset. She ignored the slight itchiness of the wet grass and stretched her legs out.

"It's beautiful isn't it? I also love the smell after a good rain. It has been a while, huh?"

Maggie smiled as she turned her head the familiar female voice behind her. Elizabeth's bright blue eyes greeted her as she nodded towards the sunset.

"Yep," Maggie agreed, turning back towards the sunset. She inhaled deeply, taking in the lovely scent.

"Petrichor…" she muttered.

"Sorry, what?" Elizabeth said.

"Oh…nothing. It's just the smell of dust after rain, it's called petrichor."

"Oh, okay…you have fun with that then. I'm just going to go back inside now. Too many mosquitoes for my taste," Elizabeth shuddered, leaving Maggie alone again.

Maggie sighed, "I learned that one from the Doctor," she chuckled silently to herself.

Of course she hadn't actually met him. He wasn't even real. He was just a character on a television show…but sometimes she did like to pretend that he wasn't.

Of course that was just a dream, but still beautiful one that she liked to indulge herself with. She never stopped dreaming that.

_The girl who dreamed._

A loud ear-bursting noise filled the air, making Maggie nearly leap a foot in the air in surprise. She stood up and looked around, wide-eyed.

"Elizabeth?" she shouted.

No answer.

There was another crash, this time coming from the side of her house, near the bins. She slowly walked towards the source of the noise.

"Hello?" Maggie inquired rather meekly. For a moment there was silence, and she took another step forward.

"Bah!" a man shouted, emerging from the pile of rubbish, knocking falling garbage bins off of him. Maggie yelped in surprise, her hand shooting to her mouth as she watched this strange man climb out of her garbage.

He looked to be covered with what may have been either soot or dirt, and he shook his head as he spit out a few random bits of trash.

"I've had better landings," the man muttered as he hopped to his feet. He paused as he noticed Maggie standing there, looking utterly confused.

"Hello!" the man said grinning. He had a British accent, Maggie noted. That was odd…

"Who are you?" Maggie sputtered, taking in his appearance.

"Bit blunt are we? American, judging by the accent. You…. Wouldn't happen to have a towel or something, I may need to clean off a bit…" the man looked as Maggie's expression had changed from confusion to awe and utter disbelief. "Are you alright?"

Maggie gaped at him and shook her head.

"You…You're the Doctor! No, you're not real. That's not possible. How can you be here?" Maggie said.

The Doctor frowned for a moment, before a big goofy smile spread across his face as if something had suddenly dawned upon him.

"Ahhh…you, I was warned about you. You, what's your name, is it Molly?"

"Maggie."

"Oh, yes, now I remember."

"Hold on, who warned you about me?" Maggie said, still in shock. The Doctor grinned.

"Well…it's a bit complicated."

Maggie gaped at him once again, before laughing.

"You're not the Doctor, you're just some crazy guy messing with me. The Doctor isn't real, he's a fictional character," Maggie said, folding her arms.

For a moment, Maggie regretted what she said, he looked genuinely hurt.

"What is fictional or real in one universe, may not be in another."

Maggie paused for a moment, meeting this strange man's eyes.

"Okay. Then let's say you really are the Doctor. Why are you here?"

"I don't know yet. The old girl malfunctioned and I landed here, hence me landing in your bins."

Maggie nodded hesitantly, "How much did this _mystery person_ tell about me then? "

The Doctor snorted, "Not much, I was just told not to be alarmed that when you knew who and what I am. The whole thing's just a bit….wobbly. Which reminds me, I've been extremely rude," the Doctor extended a sooty hand, "Hello, I'm the Doctor."

A smile instantly stretched across Maggie's face without her knowing. She instantly shook his hand.

"I'm Maggie. Maggie Dalton. "

The Doctor smiled, "Well, Maggie, Mags, Magzter, would you mind if I went inside, and spruced up a bit?"

"….Yes, of course! Wait hold on, if you're the Doctor, prove it to me. Could I see your sonic screwdriver? What about the TARDIS?"

"You ask a lot of questions don't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, good. Just make sure they're not stupid," he smiled, flicking out his sonic and scanning the air.

"Whoa! You have some cowboys out here," glancing over at Maggie, "No pun intended."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Like I've never heard that one before. Comm'on. You look and smell like you fell into a volcano."

"Well, it's sulfur you're smelling and actually…."

"Tell me later," she nodded toward the door.

* * *

><p>"You want anything to eat? I think we have some fishsticks in the fridge."<p>

"No thanks, not hungry," the Doctor said as he scrubbed the last of the soot off of his face. Maggie silently marveled at the man before her. He had to be the Doctor, either that, or a perfect doppelganger. Every detail was the same, from the barely there-eyebrows, to the cheekbones and bowtie.

"Do you usually stare this much?" the Doctor's eyes met hers and a slight smile played on his lips. Maggie blushed and shook her head.

"No, this is just…..weird to me. "

The Doctor's head turned as the clicking of heels echoed on the hardwood floor.

"Hey Elizabeth, this is….."

"Let me guess, one of your nerdy friends. Nice costume by the way," she nodded to the Doctor and her light brown hair swayed. "Anyway, I'm heading out for the night, and sleeping over at Amanda's. See you later!" Elizabeth waves, slamming the door behind her.

"Costume?" the Doctor inquired, looking back towards the door.

"Yeah, that was my sister, Elizabeth. You….aren't exactly real here. You're a character in a television show. Of course she thought you were just wearing a costume," Maggie shrugged, "And besides…..you don't exactly see many people wearing tweed jacket s and bowties around here."

The Doctor grimaced and straightened his bowtie, "Well, maybe people around here just aren't cool enough for them."

"Bowties are cool," Maggie said staring out the window and looking at the now dark sky.

"Where is the rest of your family?"

"Oh, well, Elizabeth and I are both in college, but we're home for break, so everyone's out doing their own thing. They all keep very busy."

The Doctor clapped his hands together, "Okay! Let's get down to business!"

"_To defeat, the Huns," _Maggie added.

"What?"

"Nevermind,"Maggie smiled.

The Doctor leapt out of his seat and paced the kitchen.

"So, what do we have? _Something_ brought the TARDIS here, to this location, but _what_? What could it possibly be? This is an alternate universe. Tell me, Maggie, has there been anything strange happening here recently?" he said, pausing and leaning against the granite-top island.

Maggie laughed at the thought of _anything_ occurring in her town, let alone something odd.

"I'm going to have to say no on that one. Do you want to know what this town's nickname is?" Maggie said running a hand through her messy hair. The Doctor looked over at her.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"The Brentwood Bubble. It's the place where nothing ever happens," Maggie said as she stood up and walked over to the fruit bowl, grabbing an apple, "It's almost as if there's a literal bubble around the place. It's the most boring place on earth…"

"That's it! Maybe there really is some sort of force field around your town," the Doctor said, taking off and running at towards the door.

"Hey, hold on! Where are you going?" Maggie yelled after him, and she ran after him. She skidded to a halt as he peaked back around the door.

"To the TARDIS, are you coming?" he inquired. Maggie nodded, her brown curls bouncing slightly. The Doctor smiled, and pulled her out the door by her hand.

"_Geronimo_!"

**I hope you're liking it so far! I have big plans for these too, but this story is supposed to just get things off the ground. Wholock will come soon. ;) Reviews?**


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you even know where you're going?" Maggie panted exasperatedly as the Doctor continued to pull her along the lamp-lit street. The air was humid and her hair had begun to frizz and was beginning to cling to her face. They were still running. Maggie made herself a mental note that she may or may not be in the process of being abducted. She wasn't sure, but prayed to God that this man really was the Doctor. She _was_ positively certain that he was, however, now doubts had begun to take root in her mind. Ideas are quite difficult to eradicate.

_Well…_ She figured, _at least if he isn't telling the truth you have to admit dying by the hands of some psycho dressed like the Doctor is at least an interesting way to go out. It could be worse._

"Uhhh…..Yes! Of course I do!" he said interrupting her train of thought, " I can feel her around her somewhere! Usually I can sense where the TARDIS is, but….something is throwing me off," The Doctor said, an unusual level of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

Maggie suddenly skidded to a halt, pulling back her wrist, and almost slipping on the damp concrete. That was enough. She refused to go another step until she was certain of who he was. The Doctor let go of her wrist without resistance, but spun around, raising his brows.

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" she said, her hand flying to her head and brushing the stray hairs out of her face. "We've been running for five minutes! How am I supposed to know if you're not just some crazed psychopath who happens to be interested in dressing like the Doctor! I'm not going another step if you don't prove it right now. I'm curious, but I'm not stupid," Maggie spat, her eyebrows knitted together. She didn't like being snappy, but she figured for her own safety it was better to come off tougher than not. She folded her arms and attempted to give the man a solid glare.

The Doctor seemed to consider her words for a moment. He stepped forward and looked her squarely in the eyes, his dark green ones meeting her light hazel ones. It wasn't until then that she realized how much taller he was than she, at least six inches. She silently cursed her unintimidating height. _Suck it up,_ Maggie thought to herself, pulling herself to her full height, _mind over matter._

"Listen," the Doctor began, looking at her earnestly. He could see the skeptical look he was earning even in the evening light. "I need you to trust me. Please, just believe me," he smiled, and quoted himself, "Twenty minutes. Believe me for twenty minutes."

Maggie laughed silently at the absurdity of the situation. She wasn't sure if he even knew that she knew those were the same words he had said to Amy. She slowly shook her head before pausing.

"Okay…..under one condition," She started slowly, against her better judgment. He held his arms behind his back and leaned forward attentively.

"Sonic something. If something actually happens, I'll believe you."

His face lit up, this time in a big, goofy, lighthearted smile, and reached into his inner coat pocket, flicking out his screwdriver. He looked over at Maggie with a smug smirk, and raised his eyebrows as he pressed a button.

VVVSSSSHHHHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Maggie's eyes widened and she gaped for a moment as sparks flew from the nearest lamp post. Its light flickered out with a noisy shocking sound. In that moment she was thankful for the slight darkness because the stupidly wide smile that graced her lips must have made her look completely absurd. She let out a giggle and her hands flew to her mouth. She couldn't believe it. She stood silently with wide eyes and vaguely wondered if this must be what it's like to be starstruck.

_Stop staring like some starstruck giggly teen. _She chided herself.

"So…..are you coming along?" he asked, his head cocked to one side. Maggie's hands dropped from her face, but her smile remained as she gave a weak nod. Part of her wished that she could have come up with some clever funny quip, but her inner smartass seemed to be temporarily unable to function.

"Allons-y," she almost whispered, but she knew he had heard. He grinned and nodded to the street in front of them.

"But…..Really though, where is the TARDIS?" Maggie inquired, strolling alongside him.

"Ahh…..I have no idea…" he threw his arms up in mock surrender and continued, "Which is extremely not very good," He stopped walking and his hand shot to his head, "Something is very wrong here. Without the TARDIS I won't be able to run a scan for a temporal energy flux…Unless I could use someone's computer to make a temporal scanner….." he paused and looked at Maggie. Her eyes widened.

_Not my baby._

"Oh, no, you are not taking apart my laptop to make some sort of scanner thingy."

"I promise I'll put it back together! _And _I could set it up so you'd have free wi-fi anywhere and all the time!" he tilted his head and gave what resembled a puppy-dog pout. "Ah? So what do you say, deal?"

Maggie considered this for a moment. _The man drives a hard bargain._

"Deal."

The two backtracked to Maggie's home. The house was dark when they returned. Maggie pushed open the door. However, something was odd. She hadn't turned off the lights when she had left.

The Doctor noticed this and glanced at Maggie, who returned his confused look.

"Hello?" she said timidly into the darkness of the house, carefully placing one leg into the doorway. Her eyes darted around the shadowed foyer.

"Careful…" the Doctor muttered, "We need to grab the laptop….and leave. Someone or something has been inside your house," he said quietly, "Now, where is it?"

"On the kitchen counter," Maggie replied in a hushed tone.

"Okay…..follow my lead," the Doctor said before stepping ahead of her, one cautious foot in front of another. Maggie found herself holding her breath as she peered into the darkness of the small foyer. Her heart pulsed painfully in her chest as she followed closely behind him, moving slightly to the side so she had a view into the kitchen.

The Doctor continued forward and cautiously flicked on one light. Maggie hesitantly walked into the kitchen, glancing around once more.

"Be careful. Keep your eyes on the shadows just in case."

Maggie nodded and snatched the laptop off of the counter. _Great. Vashta Nerada in my house would be just what I need. _She thought as she retreated towards the door. There was a creak on the hardwood behind her. She stiffened.

"Doctor?" she said.

"Yes?" he replied in a muffled voice.

"Are you standing behind me?"

"Whu—no. Maggie!" The Doctor yelled, no longer bothering to be quiet. Maggie spun around and stumbled back.

_Shit. _Her eyes widened as she looked at a large creature that loomed several feet above her. It was consumed by mostly shadows and she stared at it in paralyzing awe for a moment before it raised its arm and swung at her. She snapped back into reality, and, clutching the laptop close to her chest, she deftly ducked under the gigantic arm and ran behind the beast, towards the door.

"Maggie! We have to leave now!" the Doctor shouted, pulling her quickly towards the door. Maggie nodded wordlessly, looking fearfully at the strange beast in her home.

"Run!"

He didn't have to tell her twice. They ran, fast and hard, and with much more purpose than the first time. Maggie did all she could to hold on the laptop, and clung to it as if it was a life raft. After a few minutes, and checking several times to see if they were still being pursued, they slowed to a stop.

Maggie coughed, and her chest heaved to regain the oxygen lost. Her hands rested on her knees as she looked at the Doctor. _Well, this was not how I expected my day to go…._ She thought as she looked back down at the concrete.

"What was that…..thing?" she asked.

"I wasn't able to get a very good look at it, but I know that it was _very _large, and _not_ very friendly_." _

"No shit, Sherlock," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, since going back to your house is out of the question, are there any other places nearby we could spend a moment so I could locate the TARDIS?" the Doctor said.

She straightened back up and thought for a moment.

"I could have driven us somewhere…..but my car is back at the house. There's a private school less than a block away that has a set of stone bleachers we could sit on…"

"That'll do!" he exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Lead the way."

Maggie wrung her hands nervously and shivered. It wasn't very cold, but it was a sort of humid cool. The sort in which you don't need a jacket, but it's enough to give you goose bumps. However, her chills were not from the crisp air, but the thought of some sort of creature being in her home. She had texted Elizabeth and told her not to go back there, making some lame excuse why. She slid her palms over the cool stone as she gazed into the night sky.

"Beautiful isn't it," Maggie said nodding towards the sky. The Doctor briefly paused his busy typing and glanced at Maggie, then at the sky.

"Yes it is, but believe me, this is nothing. It's much too bright here to see the really good stuff," he commented. Maggie smiled. The smile slowly faded though as her thoughts began to drift, laced with the possibility that she may not ever get to see the _really good stuff_, as the Doctor put it.

"Voila! I've done it!" the Doctor exclaimed, tilting the laptop screen towards Maggie. Of course she had no clue what to make of it. "With this, I'll be able to locate the TARDIS," he added looking back to the screen and typing in an extra code. A GPS like map popped onto the screen, showing a blinking dot. "There you are…." He muttered, hopping to his feet and extending a hand to Maggie.

"Well come along, Mags!" he said.

* * *

><p>"Oh, <em>hello<em> gorgeous! You had me worried!" the Doctor said walking up to the TARDIS and brushing his hand across the painted wood exterior. He snapped his fingers and the door swung open. He took a step inside before looking over his shoulder, noticing that Maggie was not following.

She stood planted a few feet from the door, her mouth slightly ajar. She blinked, realizing how idiotic she must have looked, staring like a deer in the headlights at the Doctor and the TARDIS.

"Well, are you coming?" the Doctor finally asked, after staring at her for a moment. She stopped staring at the box for a moment and looked back to him.

"Am I invited?" she inquired meekly. Her chest began to hurt as she vaguely realized that she had forgotten to breathe.

"Of course you're invited! Why else would you still be here?" the Doctor waved his hands as he gestured her inside. She slowly stepped forward inside the TARDIS. She smiled, poorly masking her giddiness as she walked inside. _Pull yourself together!_

"I thought it would be bigger," she remarked flatly. His look of utter disbelief made her composure falter and her smirk became a smile as she laughed. "Although, I suppose for tradition's sake I should say, 'It's bigger on the inside.'"

"Well aren't you a bit of a smart arse," the Doctor grinned, skipping up the steps towards the TARDIS controls, and pulling down a screen. "Now let's see what's happening with the temporal energy levels around here…." He said leaning in close to the scanner. Maggie leaned over to try to get a peek. His eyes drifted across the screen before a sudden _pop!_ made him jump back. Sparks flew from the monitor, and the screen became static.

"I am assuming that isn't good," Maggie said.

"_Wibbley-wobley timey wimey…." _The Doctor said, spinning around to face Maggie, who leaned back as his face appeared close to hers. "You have yourself a time rift."


	3. Chapter 3

Maggie paused a moment, sending the Doctor an inquiring look and folding her arms across her chest.

"So, a time rift?" she said leaning against the TARDIS console, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"It would seem so," the Doctor said as he raised the screen up and rummaged through a compartment in the console.

"How is that possible? It isn't like time rifts just pop out of nowhere, right?"

"I'm sure yet," the Doctor said as he pocketed his small flip book of psychic paper. He had a feeling that it may come in handy. He spun back around to face her, a small grin dancing across his features, "I 'm still figuring that part out."

Maggie nodded, allowing her eyes drift across the interior of the TARDIS. It seemed so surreal. She had imagined standing inside it so many times, but actually being inside it seemed like a dream. As she scanned across the surface of the console something caught her eye.

"What's that?" she asked, reaching towards the bright, multicolored object peeking out from underneath some papers. She lifted the papers and smiled.

"Ah, so of all the things you have to entertain yourself with, you still have this?" she pulled out the small cube, cupping it briefly in her had before tossing it to him. "A Rubik's cube? Seems pretty old-school."

The Doctor caught it. He looked at it and twirled it in his fingers. "Well, I am pretty _old-school_," he said before tossing it back to her. She was quite a moment as she turned the small cube in her hands.

"Could I give it a shot?" she said.

"Sure. I don't see why not. Just don't lose it! I've had that thing for ages. Did you know I helped create it? Erno was a great guy, bit scatterbrained, but you can't have everything," the Doctor said, with a wave of dismissal.

Maggie quirked an eyebrow and a small smile played on her lips. She suddenly realized how heavy her eyelids felt, and she gave an involuntary yawn. It probably hadn't been a good idea staying up so late the night before.

"Tired?" the Doctor asked.

"Just a bit. What time is it?" she shrugged, running a hand through her hair.

"Uhh…half passed three."

"In the morning?" she gaped at him. She briefly wondered how she had not felt tired before this moment. However, after brief consideration she came to the conclusion that it was likely from the adrenaline.

"Yes. If you would like there are…..a couple of bedrooms down the hall," he nodded toward the stairs to his right, "I don't suspect that it would be a good idea for you to return to your home just yet, so feel free to just take any one of them."

Maggie's eyes widened slightly as the reality of his statement hit her. She couldn't really go home until they found out what that thing inside her house was, and why it was there. But, _hell, _it couldn't really be too bad, considering she got the chance to stay in the TARDIS. She snapped out of her reverie as she noticed him looking at her, leaning against the TARDIS console with an inquiring look.

"Yes. Thank you. Really, thank you , this is just…..wow." she shook her head with a small smile, taking a step back and nearly tripping on a bundle of wires. _Smooth._ "Ah, well….goodnight then!"

"Goodnight," the Doctor smiled, his eyes crinkling in the warm orange glow of the TARDIS lights.

Maggie hummed quietly to herself as she wandered down the corridor. She felt a bit odd peeking into each room, like she was being intrusive, although she knew that the Doctor probably didn't mind. Most rooms she passed looked to be just random compartments for storage, occasionally with random obscure objects that she wasn't even quite able to identify. A few were obviously some sort inventions the Doctor must have been playing around with.

She yawned and figured exploring could be a matter for another time. One certain door caught her attention. It was wood. Gently, she pushed open a blue wooden door, which looked a bit out of place surrounded by the mass of variously colored metals surrounding it. Peering inside, she found it was relatively normal-looking compared to the rest of the TARDIS she had seen. It had a double bed with a plain beige colored duvet and with a rickety-looking nightstand beside it. Also accompanied with the nightstand there was an alien-looking metallic lamp that softly illuminated the room. Across the room sat a vanity with several drawers that looked to be overstuffed with clothing of some sort, and beside that a wardrobe.

Maggie ungracefully plopped down on the bed with a contented sigh. She didn't even bother climbing under the covers or taking off her shoes. She just laid there staring at the ceiling, (Which now, she noticed was dotted with constellations and gave a view of the actual night sky.) and didn't close her eyes for fear that she would wake up and find this was all just a dream. Eventually, her drooping eyelids won out and she instantly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

"Wakey-wakey! We have loads to do, no time to sleep the day away!" the Doctor's voice echoed loudly in Maggie's ear. She groaned and absent-mindedly muttered, "Five more minutes—"

"Ah!" she yelped as she was abruptly yanked up by her arm and her eyes instantly fluttered open. She hardly had time to rub her eyes when a warm cup was thrust into her hands.

She blinked unsure of what to make of it. "What is this?" she slurred, sleep still slowly wearing off.

"I made you some tea. It's a special Apalapachian blend that only grows on the Great Eastern Mountains. It's also known for its high caffeine content, which I figured you might want." He was grinning at her expectantly.

Maggie really shouldn't have been as surprised as she looked. She cautiously took a sip and nearly winced at its strength. It was spicier than expected, and very strong, yet still good in an unexpected way. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's good, I like it. Thank you." Maggie nodded, taking another sip and brushing the creases out of her shirt.

"There are some extra clothes in the wardrobe if you like…" the Doctor nodded across the room.

"No thanks, I'll be fine for now," she smiled, following the Doctor as he walked out of the room and down the narrow corridor into the TARDIS control room.

"So are you ready for some investigating?" the Doctor spun around and clapped his hands together.

"Ready as ever, I suppose," Maggie shrugged and laughed as the Doctor grabbed her hand and practically skipped out the door. She was still completely clueless on how one even began to conduct an investigation, however, she was more than willing to go out on a limb and give it a shot.

"So how exactly does one do an investigation? We don't exactly have anywhere to start, do we?" Maggie asked.

The Doctor smiled wryly," You may be surprised, but we have more to go off of than you think."

Maggie raised her eyebrows.

"Like what exactly?"

"You just have to keep your eyes open. Something is wrong here and there's bound to be at least one person who will notice. Eventually, the clues will find us, but you just have to learn how to know them when you see them." The Doctor tilted his head slightly askew, before giving her a wink.

"So where do we start?"

"Perhaps a local park, or a town square?" the Doctor nodded to the park they were passing. He gave her a look and shrugged.

Maggie leapt up on the bench as they strolled down the sidewalk. A group of young children ran by and the Doctor smiled and waved at them.

"Com'on, let's take a look around," the Doctor said, turning around to face the bench. He extended his hand and Maggie grabbed hold, hopping back down from the bench.

"We can start by simply asking around," the Doctor said. Maggie bit her lip, uncertain how effective that course of action would really be. Especially in _The Bubble_.

"What exactly are you asking them? If they have found any aliens in their homes, or if they've noticed a flux in temporal energy? It isn't quite something you want to ask a complete stranger unless you want to wildly confuse them…" Maggie mused lightly, kicking up some dust with her boot.

"Hmm…." The Doctor seemed to contemplate this for a moment, "Well, that may just be a risk I'm willing to take!" he smirked, glancing around at the groups of people passing by.

"Excuse me!..." the Doctor shouted out at a group of two mothers with children, "by any chance have you noticed any…..suspicious activity? No? Oh…..that's quite alright then…" the conversation faded as the Doctor drifted away from earshot. She slowly shook her head, smiling to herself. As much as she hated being pessimistic, she wasn't really sure how much information he really was going to get, but there was no reason to stop him from trying. After all, he was the Doctor. She shifted around and reclaimed her seat on the wooden bench. _No reason not to get comfortable. _She thought, _I probably should try to help, but I honestly wouldn't be must use._ She propped her head up with her arm as she leaned against the bench. The day was beginning to become hot, though a nice breeze wafted through the air. She must have watched the Doctor for nearly an hour. The energy in his face when approaching a new person and asking a question, the fading smile as they probably gave an irrelevant answer, and the subtle look of disappointment that graced his face before the cycle started again. She couldn't help, but admire his persistence though.

Something flickered in the corner of her eye. _Look in the corner of your eye, the place you never want to look,_ she remembered, although it probably wasn't even necessary at the moment. Regardless, she looked over and squinted as a vaguely familiar face approached. It was a young man, looking to be in his young twenties. His light brown hair was blown around in an unruly fashion by the wind, and his eyes seemed to be lingering on Maggie. He slowed to a stop a few feet from them and smiled.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but you look extremely familiar," he began, running a hand through his hair somewhat nervously. "I'm pretty sure we went to high school together," he smiled, looking at her through his thin-rimmed glasses.

Maggie stood and returned the smile, trying to pretend that she only vaguely remembered him, but who was she kidding, of course she remembered him. It was Claus Sinclair. He was a senior when she was a freshman in high school, and she had spent nearly the entire year silently pining over him while her friends teased her for it. He wasn't exactly the most popular of the senior class, but Maggie had always seemed to be drawn to the smarter ones.

"Yeah, we did!" she said, extending her hand, "Um…..it was Claus, right? Claus Sinclair?" she said putting on her best poker face. His light green eyes lit up.

"Yes, and it was Maggie, right?" he said shaking her hand. She nodded and looked away, not really sure what to say.

"So…..what brings you back to Brentwood?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, I have a job at the local newspaper now. I worked for a bigger one for a while, but I sorta recently got demoted," he shrugged.

"Oh…I'm sorry. Well, at least you still have a job," Maggie said with a small smile.

"Yes, it could be much worse, " he admitted, "It would be nice if there was an actual story to right about around here though," he chuckled.

"Well, that his true," Maggie said, tilting her head in acknowledgement. She glanced over Claus's shoulder and noticed the Doctor walking back over towards them, his tweed jacket draped over his arm.

Claus followed her gaze and looked over his shoulder. The Doctor smiled as he approached the two.

"Oh, hey, Claus, this is the Doctor. He's a friend of mine," Maggie said, turning her attention back to Claus. Claus nodded, and extended his hand to the Doctor.

"Hello!" the Doctor said.

"Hey, the name's Claus," he said. The Doctor smiled warmly and shook his hand.

"Doctor, Claus went to high school with me," Maggie said, looking at the Doctor, but nodding towards Claus.

"Oh! That's nice," the Doctor said, plopping down on the bench and crossing his legs.

"So how did it go?" Maggie asked, the Doctor shaking his head slightly.

"Could've gone better," he shrugged, "I heard a few things, but nothing really too bad, but did a man really eat another man's face in Florida?" the Doctor's face contorted in disgust.

"Yes, I know, that's crazy right! I'm just saying we better prepare for a zombie apocalypse," Maggie said, but quickly shook her head, " but it's not really that relevant at the moment," Maggie said.

"I'm sorry, but may I ask what you're talking about?" Claus inquired.

Maggie opened her mouth, but it was the Doctor who replied first.

"There's been some strange things happening around here. I'm just poking my head around to check if there was anything else happening."

"So are you some sort of reporter?" Claus asked.

"Ehh, not quite, just a concerned third party observer," the Doctor quipped with a sly smile.

"Oh. Well, I might be able to help," Claus said. The Doctor raised his brows, " I work for the local newspaper," Claus added. The Doctor shot a brief look to Maggie, then back to Claus.

"Really? That's fantastic!" the Doctor said grinning, "So could _you _tell me, has there been anything particular strange happening around here?"

Claus paused a moment, considering this.

"Well…..there has been a few odd things," he shrugged.

"Like what?" Maggie asked, her eyes briefly flickering to the Doctor, who looked at Claus with his eyes raised...

"Well, apparently," Claus began, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, "There has been a variation of petty crimes occurring in the area. Of course, they were petty until recently when someone was attacked elsewhere. The police say that they might have reason to believe that these crimes are linked—"

"Why would you say that?" the Doctor inquired, cutting in.

"B-because," Claus paused, as if unsure to go on, "Because the crimes are baring un uncanny resemblance to fairytales…." Claus quickly glanced away, his face reddening slightly.

"Like…the Brothers Grimm sort of fairytales?" Maggie asked, her brows raised slightly.

"Yes, like the Brothers Grimm. Other sorts too. No one can seem to agree with the connection, but it's all there. "

"So what _petty crimes_ happened exactly?" the Doctor said.

"Well, vandalism, robbery, oh and did I mention a woman was poisoned and fell into a coma? She's alright now, but luckily it only took a few weeks."

"No, you did not mention that…." The Doctor trailed off," If she was in a coma, how do you know it was poison?"

"They found her on the floor of her home, already comatose, and an apple with a bite out of it only a foot away from her. The police investigated the area and everything, but there was no evidence of another person being in the house. They ran tests on the apple and found that it had been poisoned."

"That does sound a bit suspicious…." The Doctor looked off at the football field beyond the playground, "By any chance to you have the name of the person who was attacked by…..?"

"Some sort of large animal," Claus said shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes, do you have a name?"

"I can't be sure, but I think her first name was Ruby. Hold on," Claus pulled his bag off of his shoulder and rummaged in it for a moment, "I think I might have the notes on that one in here…" he pulled out a wade of papers and wet his finger before swiftly flicking through the pages. He paused, and pulled out one page. "I believe it was…Ruby Sinard," he looked back up to the Doctor

The Doctor smiled and then looked at Maggie before returning his gaze to Claus.

"Yes, well, Claus you have been quite helpful, and it's a pleasure to have met you! Sorry, but I believe Maggie and I must be on our way," the Doctor grinned and stepped away from a slightly confused Claus, who stood blinking at Maggie with a blank expression.

"I don't believe I really—"

"Sorry, gotta run!" Maggie cut off Claus with a wave as the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the sidewalk and further down the path that approached the baseball field. She felt bad for just leaving Claus there, but she managed to give him a small reassuring smile as she left. This whole business was making her a bit on edge. _Still,_ she figured, _at least it's a change of pace._ She smiled at the thought. Of course it was a change of pace, she was with the _Doctor_ for God's sake.

"Soooo….a crime investigation. What are you now, Sherlock Holmes?" Maggie smirked, nudging the Doctor's arm. "Are we going to pretend to be cops, or just concerned citizens?"

"You, a concerned citizen, me, agent from Scotland yard," the Doctor looked over and Maggie and smiled, his forehead crinkling as he raised his brows, "We're going to play some detective."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, sorry for the late update! School's driving me up the wall. I own nothing, aside from my own characters and plots. Enjoy!**

Before she knew it, Maggie stood on an unfamiliar doorstep, next to the Doctor, who had just knocked on the white washed wooden door of the apartment complex. _How on earth was I talked into walking up to a complete stranger's apartment and asking a woman her opinion on being attacked?_ Maggie fixed her shirt and glanced around. Her eyes briefly met the Doctor's, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I've done this loads of times," he stated, his hands clasping lightly together behind his back. Maggie took a slow deep breath and nodded with a faked sense of determination.

The door opened slightly, only enough for a rather pale face to be seen through the opening. The door was still latched onto its sliding lock.

"Hello?" a small voice asked. The porcelain face of a young woman, dark eyes stretched wide as she peered out at them. Her equally dark hair dangled from a loose ponytail and into her face.

"Hello! I'm a police inspector, abroad from Scotland Yard, and I've been assigned your case. My code name is the Doctor, and this is my assistant, Ms. Dalton. I'm here to inquire about the details of your recent attack, Miss Ruby…" the Doctor said, smiling as he flipped out his pad of psychic paper. The woman paused and regarded the two for a moment before sliding back the chain sliding lock and opening the door fully.

"Ruby Sinard," the woman said. Her voice had a slight southern lilt to it, and possessed a distant sort of quality. "I have already spoken with the police."

The Doctor gave a light shrug, "We're just here for the details of the report."

Ruby eyed him briefly, before letting her eyes flicker to Maggie.

"Come on in then," she said, pulling the door open and stepping aside. The Doctor smirked and looked at Maggie. She slowly shook her head.

"Are we really doing this?" Maggie muttered under her breath.

"Absolutely," the Doctor quipped, patting her on the back.

They trailed behind Ruby into the small apartment. Maggie glanced around at the colorful décor.

"That's a lot of red," Maggie commented.

"I adore the color. Now, what do you want to ask me?" Ruby said, sitting down on a small couch against the wall. The Doctor plopped down in a small plush chair across from it, and Maggie sat beside it.

"Yes! You were attacked, attacked by some sort of creature, from what we heard. So what was it, a dog, bear? Not many bears around here though, eh?"

"Yes," Ruby said blinking, before releasing a sigh, "If I told you, you'd think I'm insane."

Maggie sat up attentively and gave a reassuring smile, "No, not at all. We're supposed to weigh all possibilities."

Ruby looked at Maggie with wide brown eyes, "Well, there was this _thing_, but I honestly don't think it was a dog…..I-I really _don't _know. It was huge, and hairy, and its teeth…" she trailed off, looking at her hands, folded neatly in her lap, "I know it sounds crazy…"

_That does sound crazy….but that is rather the point._

The Doctor briefly glanced at Maggie, before looking back at Ruby, "No, not at all," the Doctor reclined back, crossing his legs, "By any chance, did it resemble a wolf or a canine of some sort?"

Ruby hesitated, and then nodded. She stood slowly.

"I would rather not speak more of this right now."

The Doctor nodded, and then smiled as he stood.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, and thank you for your time," the Doctor shook her hand. Maggie smiled and did the same.

"Have a nice day."

The Doctor tripped over a cord, his arms flailing, and almost knocking over a lamp. He caught himself, and turned around towards Ruby and mouthed, "Sorry!"

Maggie tried her best to hide her laugh, but it came out as more of a snicker as the door closed behind them.

"Smooth moves," Maggie grinned, nudging him.

"Oh, shut up," he chuckled.

"So, what Claus told us, might be right? What Ruby was describing sounded a whole lot like the Big Bad Wolf, don't you think?" Maggie said, leaning against a rail in the TARDIS, "And of course, there is the fact her name is Ruby, and all that red."

"Yes. It's _almost_ all a bit too obvious," the Doctor spun around to face Maggie. His jaw clenched slightly and he looked around the TARDIS.

"What…..? Is there something wrong?" Maggie asked, glancing in the direction he was looking. He slowly shook his head.

"No, I've just been thinking. Well, I'm always thinking, but I was thinking about that thing we saw in your house. It seems like it may fit the description that Ruby gave us…..and there is your shirt," the Doctor nodded down at her.

"My shir—" she looked down, "Oh," it was red. Her eyes rose to meet his. "Do you think there really is a connection with that _thing_ and the color red?"

The Doctor shrugged, "It's a strong possibility, too strong to ignore, especially after what your friend, Claus, said." He jumped off the stair he stood on and landed a few feet from Maggie. He clapped his hands together, "Oooo, fairytales! I have to admit this is a new one! Aside from the whole Pandorica thing," he waved his hand in dismissal, "Although, I suppose that doesn't really count. I love a good fairy tale! Any favorites?" the Doctor asked, turning towards Maggie.

Maggie shrugged and then smiled, "I do like Beauty and the Beast."

The Doctor smiled and fixed his tweed jacket.

"Personally, I prefer more of the classics, like Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday, or maybe the Emperor Dalek's New Clothes."

Maggie snorted at his serious expression and couldn't hold back a laugh. His composure dissolved and he cracked a grin.

"So! What do you say we see if Claus could give us some more help?" the Doctor said before pausing, "Hold on!"

Maggie tilted her head as she watched him run out of the room for a moment. A few seconds later he came back with a light green shirt.

"Just in case my theory is right," he said, tossing it to Maggie. She hopped off of the rail and chuckled as he turned around put his hands over his eyes. _Better than the alternative I suppose._ She thought with a small smile as she changed shirts.

"Okay, I'm good," she said trailing behind the Doctor as he strode out the door.

"So what are we—Ouch!" Maggie said, tripping backward and gripping her nose. The Doctor had suddenly stopped, and she had run full force into his back.

"Sorry 'bout that…" he trailed off as he bent down and picked up an object. She peered around his crouching form to try and catch a glimpse of what had snatched his attention.

"What is it?" Maggie muttered.

The Doctor climbed back up to his feet, grasping and closely examining a brown object with blackened edges.

"It's…..a ginger bread cookie. A burnt one," he said, flicking out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the crispy gingerbread.

"Someone did a bad frosting job," Maggie commented, nodding at the cookie, which had deep maroon messy outlines of the eyes and buttons, and smudged all up the side.

The Doctor hesitated, looking up from his sonic screwdriver readings.

"That isn't frosting…"

Maggie gaped at him in blind horror. "It's _blood? _"she inquired. The Doctor nodded, but stared at the cookie more closely.

"Yes….but it isn't human blood," he said a but curiously.

"The message is still clear. _Hansel_ and Gretel…" she said. The Doctor nodded, his brow furrowed.

"Whoever is doing means business," she said.

"Yes, but I think it's more than that. If our theory is correct, then two young children were likely taken, our 'Hansel and Gretel,' but the gingerbread man did _not have _human blood on it," he ran his hand down his face as he slowly paced back and forth, "Someone could be playing with us, but _who? _" he added looking away from Maggie.

She furrowed her brow, soaking it all in. _Why would someone do that? _

"Whoever placed the gingerbread must have known that we would be able to figure it out. Otherwise, what's the point? Someone finds a gingerbread man lying on the ground, it's odd, but not worth any extra attention. But instead, it was _here_, in front of the TARDIS, and in plain sight."

"So _someone_ knows what we're investigating," Maggie said.

"Exactly! And someone is playing with us, someone smart. And you know what?" the Doctor said, tapping Maggie on the nose, "_That_ is how we know the children are alive, if we decide to play their game."

Maggie was silent, mulling his words over in her head. _We're still not exactly certain that there are any children. What if someone just wanted us to stay on the trail? Still, it's a pretty fair deduction. _Maggie thought, taking the cookie from the Doctor's hand.

"We should hold onto this," Maggie said, still standing in the same spot when the Doctor had already begun walking down the sidewalk. He turned around, a few feet from her, and considered this a moment.

"You're right, we should," the Doctor said gently taking the cookie from her hand and walking back into the TARDIS. She saw him place it next to the console and watched as he returned.

"Are you sure you want to do this then?" she asked. He raised his eyebrows. "What if we're just dealing with some sort of psychopath that has nothing to do with aliens?"

"Aliens or not, I'm not going to entertain the _possibility _children be harmed because of a twisted game. Not to say that I still don't think it has to do with aliens, "he smiled, "Let's not forget our Big Bad Wolf!"

She quirked her head in acknowledgement, but the thought was short lived by his hand suddenly tightly grasping her wrist. She looked over at him, but he was no longer paying attention to her. His eyes were wide, and his shoulders tensed.

"No really…..let's not forget about the _Big Bad Wolf_." He said, his eyes snapping to the bush to the right of them as a twig snapped. Maggie's heart skipped a beat.

There was a moment of heavy silence in which Maggie was afraid to move a fraction. The silence tore itself apart with a nearly metallic growl and the enormous figure leaping from the shrubs. Maggie yelped, and nearly fell backwards, but the Doctor's grip on her wrist kept her upright. All she managed to see of the beast was a flash of fangs and the blur of brown fur as she was yanked by her arm.

"Run!"

Her frigid muscles shot to life at the sound, and she leapt away, sprinting for her life.

**A bit short, I know, but I was trying to get this one up a little quicker. The next one should be long, I have loads planned for it. Thanks for the lovely reviews, the more reviews the faster I update! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**EDIT: Hey, I edited all of my chapters, so they are not too different, but they're much better quality. I did change a few things though. :) **

**I apologize for the extremely late update. However, now that school is over, it should be easier to update. Yay, long chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Doctor. I only own my plots, and Maggie. :)**

Maggie huffed as she continued sprinting with the Doctor slightly ahead of her. She stole a glance behind her at their pursuer, and gasped as she briefly stumbled over her own feet, but the Doctor caught her by the wrist and tugged her on.

_Good Lord. Donna wasn't kidding when she said there was an outrageous amount of running to do._ Maggie thought as the Doctor swiftly pulled her around a corner. Maggie's back collided with the stone wall and she looked at the Doctor with wide eyes. His chest was heaving, but he slowly brought one finger to his lips. He leaned in close to her, his breath tickling the hair by her ear.

"Listen," he began, glancing around, "I need you to trust me. I'm going to ask something big of you, but I need to know that you will do it. Do you trust me?" the Doctor lightly placed his hands on both of her shoulders.

_Oh, come on, really? Why pull the whole 'do you trust me?' routine? I bet he knows that no one can say no to that face._ Maggie thought grimacing. Her eyes darted around for a moment before meeting his gaze. She bit her lip. Unfortunately, she did. She really did trust him. Hesitantly, she nodded her head.

"I trust you."

"Okay….Okay then. So you're a good runner, right?" he inquired. Maggie nodded, not quite sure she was liking where this was going.

"Good! So, the TARDIS isn't far from here, and I need you to distract that thing so I can get a straight shot to the TARDIS. Then led him to that track over there, and I'll be waiting."

"So I'm basically going to be bait," she said.

"…..Yes."

"Okay then…That should probably bother me more than it does." Maggie shrugged her shoulders. _I am crazy. It's official, I'm going completely insane. How am I okay with this? Oh right, at least if I die, it won't be in a boring way, that's why. _She thought with a sigh. Or perhaps she was really simply trying to impress the Doctor.

The Doctor gave a weak smile.

"Ready then?" he asked, leaning forward.

"As ready as I will ever be," she chuckled and pushed herself off the brick wall. "Here goes nothing," Maggie said taking a deep breath. _ Okay, Maggie, just act, act like the Doctor. Just play the part. _She darted around the corner.

"Oi, you big ugly rabies-infested mutt! Yeah I'm talking to you!" she shouted at the wolf-thing, which was sniffing the concrete.

_That should do it._

It raised its ugly snout and emitted a growl. It slowly stalked towards her. Maggie stood her ground, but then took a cautious step back, not raising her eyes from the creature. She recoiled with a yelp as the creature suddenly barked and lunged towards her. As she turned to run, she stole a glance at the Doctor, who still apprehensively in his hiding place.

"If I get mauled today, I'm so going to kill you!" she shouted in a winded breath as she rushed by him.

"Sorry!" he mouthed, but she was long gone, and he had to work fast.

He ran. The TARDIS was within view and quickly approaching. The Doctor fumbled with the door before just shoving it open. "Come on old girl...give me a hand. It must be around here somewhere!" the Doctor tossed miscellaneous items over his shoulder as he rummaged through the compartments, muttering incoherently to himself as he dug. "No…no, that's not it. No, no, no!" he stepped back and ruffled his hair exasperatedly. He spun around, swinging open a cabinet. "Aha!" he beamed and reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small orb. He grinned with satisfaction, and stuffed the orb into his pocket. "Hold on, Maggie, I'm on my way!"

# # #

_I really should have worked on sprinting more._ Maggie thought with an inkling of regret. She felt a bead of sweat drip down her brow. She liked to think of herself as a fairly athletic person, but of course she had her limits, and this was far beyond them.

Her chest heaved as she glanced back at the hairy beast less than twenty feet behind her. _Will that thing ever get bored of chasing me?_ She thought as she sprinted on a little faster. Her legs felt like jelly. It didn't matter though, she kept reminding herself, for if she did stop, she would certainly fall victim to the strange creature. Not to mention, the track was fast approaching. "Com'on…." She muttered, urging her legs forward. She neared the finish line.

Where was the Doctor? Didn't he say he would be waiting for her?

_Oh, no._

Her legs were threatening to give out.

She heard the sharp scratch of claws against the track.

_So close…._

Her legs buckled as soon as her foot hit the ground just beyond the white-marked, meter dash line. She clenched her jaw tightly as her knees skidded across the red-tinted track.

_Shit. _She thought, vaguely registering the pain in her legs. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.

"Not bad, Fido, but not good enough!" a familiar voice rang out.

_Doctor!_

# # #

The Doctor had seen Maggie running to the finish line. Quite frankly he was impressed that she was able to keep running. He muttered to himself as she drew the beast nearer. In his palm rested the small metallic orb, which he fumbled with between his slightly sweaty fingers. "Only a little farther now," he murmured. He counted down in his head.

_Three._

Maggie was beginning to look faint.

_Two._

Her eyes flickered around desperately as she searched for him on the track. Of course she wouldn't be able to see him because of the perception filter the orb created.

_One!_

The Doctor chucked the orb at the beast. Maggie fell to her knees a few feet from him. A smile flitted across his face as the giant wolf suddenly froze, it's teeth still bared. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on a movie. He released a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Not bad, Fido, but not good enough!" he announced as the perception filter dissipated around him.

"Doctor?" Maggie muttered, pushing herself up to her knees.

"Maggie!" he rushed over to her side, realizing she was still on the ground, "Are you hurt?" he inquired, holding out his hand and helping her up.

Maggie grimaced as she looked down as her bleeding knees.

"A little scraped up, but it could be much worse. Nothing a bandaid can't fix," she tilted her head up at him with a small smile, but it quickly faded. "Next time you need bait, get someone else!" she nudged him teasingly, her chest still heaving. He smiled.

"Point taken."

The Doctor looked up at the frozen wolf and stepped closer. Maggie trailed behind him. She cocked her head as she looked at the wolf.

"What did you do to it?"

"I temporarily froze it in time, like a time capsule," he said folding his arms. "It's a combination of a perception filter, a normal storage container, and a _very _small and weak time lock. I invented it myself," he raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly as he looked at Maggie, "Well, of course the initial motivation was to use it to keep my favorite intergalactic apple pie from spoiling. However, this works as well!" he trailed off, quirking his head to the side.

"Fantastic…" Maggie muttered, stepping closer to it, "So what do we do with it now?"

"We take it back to the TARDIS!"

"Wait…..What?"

# # #

Maggie wasn't sure what he had entirely meant when he said that they were going to bring the wolf-creature back to the TARDIS, considering she wasn't sure how they were going to move it. However, apparently, he meant actually picking it up, and moving it to the TARDIS.

_This is mental. I'm moving a wolf…..a frozen wolf….a frozen possibly alien wolf. _Maggie thought.

"Are you sure it won't just come to life again as we're moving it?" She inquired apprehensively. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, of course not!" he said, adjusting his grip on the creature's legs. It much lighter than Maggie had expected, but the Doctor said that was merely a side-effect of the orb. She couldn't help but compare it to carrying a giant stuffed taxidermy animal. _Now, that's just weird._ She pulled a face and the thought just made her shiver.

"So what do you think it actually is? It's not exactly a wolf, but it doesn't look like an alien."

"I don't exactly look like an alien either, but that clearly that isn't true."

"_Touché_. So possibly alien, maybe a genetic experiment?"

"Perhaps both…Hold on…It has _tags_."

"Doctor—"

She was cut off by the particularly loud crack of a branch. The pair froze.

The Doctor locked gazes with Maggie, and they simultaneously lowered the frozen wolf. Maggie's eyes were wide as the Doctor slowly brought one finger to his lips.

_Shhhhhhhhhh._

He took a cautious step towards the bush. Swiftly, he lunged forward and reached between the branches, and then as quickly as he shot his arm out, he pulled back. His hand clamped firmly around something. An unfamiliar yelp of surprise erupted from the bush as the Doctor's hand gripped someone's wrist, and yanked them into the open. A lanky boy flailed out of the bushes, landing on the ground with a _thump_. He glasses tumbled to the ground, and a floppy mop of light brown hair tumbled into his face.

"_Claus?_" Maggie inquired incredulously, tilting her head to get a better look. The Doctor creased his brows as he pulled Claus up off the ground, and the boy stood shakily. Claus looked at the Doctor, then to Maggie with eyes wide.

"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Maggie pressed. Claus gaped for a moment before words came stuttering out.

"Yeah! I'm sorry, I-I just thought….I just figured that you two were on to something. Nothing happens here, and….I just thought you two might have a good story!" Claus said apologetically as he picked up his fallen glasses, "I won't tell anyone whatever you're doing, whatever that is," he trailed off, his eyes flickering between Maggie and the Doctor as he stood back to his full height.

"Easy there! That's alright," the Doctor said, raising his eyebrows and glancing at Maggie, "We _just _wanted to know why you were here."

"Well, I'm here to find out why _you're _here. And what on earth is _that _thing?" Claus leaned forward and squinted at the beast before looking back up at the Doctor. Maggie tilted her head at Claus.

"You see, that is exactly what we're trying to figure out," the Doctor said, pushing back the sides of his jacket and putting his hands on his hips, "Well, the finding out what that creature is, not the why we are here part, obviously," he added with a lopsided smile, before squinting his eyes, "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm trying to figure out why I'm here too…" he trailed off. Claus quirked an eyebrow and shot a look at Maggie. Maggie smiled and shrugged.

"Wait, how do you not know how you got here? Are you…..sober?" Claus inquired warily.

"Yes! I'm just not really from this planet," the Doctor chirped cheerfully.

"Oh God, you are drunk."

"No, he's an alien," Maggie interjected, earning a very incredulous look from Claus.

"Have you been drinking too? Or are you high or….?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "No, but you might as well just pretend that." She picked up her side of the frozen wolf-creature, and the Doctor picked up his side, and they began to move.

"So, what are you doing with that?" Claus asked.

"Obviously, we're taking it back to our _spaceship_. Imbecile, pay attention," Maggie quipped, only half-sarcastically. The Doctor chuckled silently.

Claus sighed, "Well in that case, I'll just follow you to make sure you get safely back to your _spaceship_."

"Oh, you're too kind, but you really don't have to do that," The Doctor commented.

"Oh, but I do insist. I'd rather be writing an article about two people who think they have a spaceship, than one about two drunken people with a taxidermy wolf….thing getting hit by a car because they aren't thinking straight."

The Doctor stuck out his tongue, and Maggie rolled her eyes, but a smirk played upon her lips. She had never really known Claus well, but she knew him well enough to know that he was the sort of person who would help a couple of people out if they were in trouble. _The curse of the kind hearted._ If she was in his position, she likely would have done the same. _At least he's cute. _She figured with a smirk.

# # #

The Doctor hand rested on the door of the TARDIS and he looked back at Claus, who stood with his arms folded, his glasses perched high on his nose, and his hair flopping messily to the side. The Doctor grinned.

"Well…..that's a nice _box_ you have there. Is that your spaceship then?" he scoffed.

The Doctor's smile still pressed firmly on his lips as he ran his hand lightly down the blue painted wood of the door, "Oh, believe me, she i_s_ very nice," he said simply before pushing in the door.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Claus remarked, removing his glasses to clean a smudge off with his shirt. Maggie and the Doctor filed in with Wolfie, as Maggie had deemed him. Claus was still looking down as he stepped into the orangey glow of the TARDIS interior. He glanced up and his glasses tumbled to the floor with a _clack!_ He didn't move to pick them up though, as he was gaping at the TARDIS interior with wide eyes. His mouth hung ajar, twitching slightly as he looked around the room, as if he was searching for words that never came out. Suddenly, he spun around and walked outside, looking at the small exterior. Maggie and the Doctor exchanged looks. The Doctor's eyes danced with amusement, and Maggie chewed on her lip to bite back a laugh. Claus reappeared in the doorway.

"You….you're joking. This has to be some sort of conspiracy. That's impossible!"

"Highly improbable, yes, but not quite impossible," Maggie said with a wide grin.

"So that means…." He trailed off, looking at the Doctor.

"Yes, go on," the Doctor nodded, folding his arms with a small smile.

"You really are an alien…" Claus looked at him in amazement. Then he pointed to Wolfie, "And that…"

"-Is your 'Big Bad Wolf' from those fairytale crimes you told us about," the Doctor continued. Claus slowly stepped back into the TARDIS, his eyes wide and owl-like without his glasses. Maggie reached down and picked the glasses up. She lightly dusted them off before extending them out to Claus. He raised his eyebrow and warily took them. Maggie smiled, and Claus hesitantly returned the smile.

"Thanks…" he muttered.

"So, what's the plan, Doc?" Maggie said, walking over towards Wolfie.

"Well," the Doctor spun around, clapping his hands together. He slide up next to Maggie, his face examining Wolfie closely, "Hmm…" he brought up his hand and touched the small silver tag on the creatures neck. Then he flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the tag.

"Interesting." He murmured.

"Sorry, what?" Maggie inquired.

"Take a look there, on the tag. Careful not to lean too close though, I picked up high levels of Gamma radiation on the metal…."

Maggie looked at the tag a little closer.

"Hold on, I should be able to scan the area for a match for the energy emitted from the metal," the Doctor added, stumbling over a step and pulling down a screen. He pressed a few buttons, and a loud pop came from the monitor. "Aha!" the Doctor exclaimed, a wide grin flitting across his face, "And we have a match!" he said. Without warning, with a sheet of paper in his hand, he ran out the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Maggie shouted after him.

"To the source, of course!" he said, reappearing at the doorway. He looked at Claus, "You wouldn't happen to have a car nearby that we could use, would you?"

Claus nodded hesitantly, "Yes…"

"Good! Now, let's hurry before some other creature is set on the loose."

"But, what do we do with this one?" Maggie asked, reaching out and lightly touching its side.

"Oh, we'll send 'em back through that time rift when we're done," the Doctor waved his arm in dismissal, "And careful! If you touch him too much it will break the lock!" he added and ushered Claus out of the TARDIS.

# # #

The three crammed into Claus's bright red Volkswagen and took a drive full of sharp turns and poorly given directions. Maggie tried to hide her anxiety, but her body remained tense as she held a firm grip on the leather seats.

"Oh, wait, no, we're supposed to turn now!" the Doctor said. Maggie gritted her teeth as Claus made a sharp turn. Luckily with such a small car, quick turns were not a primary issue.

"Well Claus, I never really pinned you to be a Bug person," Maggie said smiling as she looked at him in the reflection from the back seat. Claus gave a light shrug.

"It gets the job done."

Maggie mouthed a small "oh," and glanced to the Doctor as he through his hands up and pointed to a clearing to their left.

"There! The readings say it's this way!" the Doctor said and Claus slowed to a stop. The Doctor leapt out of the passenger seat and ran into the clearing and around a bend of trees.

"Doctor, slow down!" Maggie shouted to him, quickly unbuckling herself from the car, "Com'on Claus, let's make sure he doesn't get lost."

"Like we're not already lost," Claus smirked, glancing around at the dark, winding, forest road they had come from. Maggie grabbed his hand and pulled him along, chasing after the Doctor.

They rounded the bend and skidded to a stop, Claus almost toppling over Maggie.

"Sorry…." He muttered before looking up at the Doctor, who briefly looked back at them, raising a finger to his lips.

Maggie walked next to the Doctor and looked at the decrepit building before them.

"It's….an abandoned barn? Well, there _are_ plenty of those around here," she commented quietly.

"This is where I tracked the source. Stay close, and follow my lead," the Doctor said, looking to Maggie, then to Claus as he nodded ahead. Claus's eyes widened and they darted around the clearing. Maggie gave him a reassuring pat on the arm, "It'll be _fine_."

She may have said this, but honestly, she was highly doubting whatever was in that barn meant them no harm.

The Doctor quietly approached the waterlogged wooden doors of the barn. Remnants of chipped paint remained on the crooked siding. It looked like it could topple over at the slightest touch. The Doctor pulled the rotted wood door out with a grunt. He peered into the darkness of the barn, warily stepping through the threshold. Maggie drifted behind him, with Claus beside her. The Doctor flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the air.

"I'm picking up an electrical source in here…" the Doctor furrowed his brow with curiosity. He held up his screwdriver and soniced the air. Lights flickered to life.

The lights revealed the inside of the barn to be more of a fine looking shed, while the outside remained a decrepit mess. The walls were lined with some sort of makeshift-technology and some sort of home-made scanners.

"Well, we certainly have a perception filter here," the Doctor said walking toward a long row of boxes covered with a dirty cloth. The Doctor yanked down the cloth and let out a low whistle. Maggie leaned in to get a closer look, but gasped when she saw what it was. Claus stepped further back into the darker side of the barn. They were cages with what looked like strange animal-like creatures. They must have been animals, but none of the sort she had seen before.

"Are those….aliens or something?" she inquired meekly, looking to the Doctor. The Doctor bit his lip and crouched down closer to the cages.

"It would seem so….However I believe someone has been conducting some sort of experiments on them because they resemble some species I've seen, but with slight alterations," the Doctor trailed a finger down a side of one of the rusted cages, "What has someone done to you…..poor thing." The Doctor muttered. Despite the rusted cages, the door was bolted down with a more technologically advanced code lock. The Doctor stood back up and turned around and stepped back in front of Claus and Maggie.

"But…why would anyone experiment on them? It would appear that they must have come through the time rift, so perhaps we should try setting one free," the Doctor spun back around and began to saunter back toward the cages, but he froze mid-stride, arm extended. "Eh…." The Doctor's eyes trailed down to the floor. A dark shadow was at his feet….but judging by the light positioning the shadow should have been on the other side…

"Doctor…..what's wrong?" Maggie asked, her voice trailing off as her eyes drifted to where he was looking. _I know that voice. That's his, something is terribly wrong voice._ She thought, her stomach churning. There was a shadow extending from the barn's shadows to the Doctor's feet. She bit her lip. The Doctor looked up, his eyes hooding grimly.

"Claus…?"

Claus chuckled from a few feet behind.

"I can't let you ruin my story. You just can't." Claus lulled, stepping out of the shadows. As he grinned, Maggie noticed his eyes were no longer a minty-green, but jet black. "You really can't."

**Cliffhanger! This was a longish one, so I'm pretty proud. Any Comments? Suggestions? **


	6. Chapter 6

**I only own Maggie, Claus, and my plots. :) **

"Claus," the Doctor said carefully, his body still frozen mid-stride. He saw the evident shift in Claus's demeanor and the shadows at his feet. His eyes widened as realization dawned upon him. "No…..no….you know that this can only end badly," the Doctor said slowly shaking his head, "You don't know what you're dealing with," he warned in a low voice.

Maggie cocked her head, glancing between Claus and the Doctor. There was something foreboding about the Doctor's tone that made Maggie freeze.

Claus scoffed, "You have no clue what you're talking about."

"Yes….yes I do," the Doctor glowered, "More than you can know."

Maggie stepped forward. The Doctor's eyes shot her a halting glance and she paused.

"Is it….the Vashta Nerada?" she asked quietly, her eyes lingering on the shadow connecting the Doctor and Claus.

The Doctor shook his head. "Good guess, but no," his eyes remained locked on Claus as he continued. " It's a race known as the Varjo Kilpi, or _shadow shields_. They look much like the Vashta Nerada, but the effects they have are completely different. Although, the two are distant relatives," he explained.

Maggie nodded her head silently, and watched as Claus slowly stepped towards the Doctor.

"They're like parasites," the Doctor spat, his eyes narrowed, "Their power will eat you alive."

"Oh, Doctor. I wouldn't suggest worrying about me if I were you. I've never felt better," Claus gestured widely.

The Doctor shook his head, " They give power to their hosts, but that power corrupts them until there's nothing left of their original selves, and then they feed off of their hosts life source," his eyes clenched shut for a moment.

"Claus, that power will kill you."

"So what if it does. Why does it matter to you?"

"It matters because human and alien lives could be at stake, including yours."

"I never intended to hurt anyone. I just needed a story."

"But you still did, didn't you? What about that woman who was attacked by your creature? Nice little touch with the gingerbread man by the way," the Doctor said, agitation creeping into his voice.

Claus was silent for a moment, and then he shook his head.

"What gingerbread man?"

"It wasn't you…." The Doctor muttered, slightly taken aback. He quickly changed the subject.

"How did you do it? How did you control the creatures? Might as well go ahead and tell me, since I doubt that Varjo Kilpi of yours will let us out alive," the Doctor said.

Claus smiled silently, creeping closer to where Maggie stood. She eyed him warily, but his eyes were still focused on the Doctor.

"It was all a matter of triggers. Some of the creatures coming through the portal had sensitivity to triggers like colors, in the case of our little wolf friend, or sounds. After that it was simple. Easy peasey."

"I see…well you _are_ wasted as a reporter," the Doctor said, Claus's smirk broadening for just a moment.

"Why fairy-tales?" Maggie inquired, breaking her silence. Claus's gaze shifted from the Doctor to her, to whom he was much closer to.

Claus stepped in front of her, his figure looming slightly with an air of confidence he had not possessed prior. "I believe it makes it more poetic," he shrugged with a grin seemingly plastered onto his face. Maggie did not move, but met his gaze in what seemed like an unspoken challenge.

"Or just more psychotic," she quipped. His grin only faltered slightly. She refused to flinch as he extended his hand and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"Oh, Maggie…." Claus chuckled, "Adorable as always."

"You're a dick as always."

"Oh, well we both know that's not what you used to think," Claus grinned, his eyes glinting dangerously behind his glasses. He used to be many things, but dangerous was never one of them. Maggie's cheeks flushed a little, but she tried to maintain a poker face. Maggie _had_ once felt something for Claus, but it was never anything real. It was a mere high school crush, the classic freshman infatuated with a senior. Perhaps her past crush was not as subtle as she was led to believe.

"Times change," she said. Her glaring gaze met his in a stalemate. The heavy silence lingered for a moment before he broke the contact.

"Leave," he said unexpectedly. Maggie blinked a few times in surprise, shifting on her feet.

"Sorry, what?" she asked.

"This has nothing to do with you. Just let the grown-ups deal with this little mess, huh?" Claus said with an edge of condescension.

Maggie opened her mouth to speak, an urge to defend herself against his condescension, but she paused and unclenched her fists. There it was. An idea. It was just one simple idea that sprung into her head and spread like wildfire. The tension left her body as the Doctor spoke up.

"Go. Do as he says, Maggie. Run!" the Doctor said.

"Okay," she said simply turning on her heel, but not before she caught a glimpse of the bemused expression on the Doctor's face. _ I bet the others didn't do that, now did they?_ She waved to Claus and concealed the ghost of a smile that graced her features. Her fragile mask of indifference reemerged as she spun back around and faced the Doctor and Claus.

"Oh, but one more thing, how am I supposed to get back?" she inquired. Claus furrowed his brow and hesitantly reached into his pocket, pulling out the keys to the car.

"Not a word to anyone about this," he said as he tossed the keys through the air to her. She nodded and smiled as she caught them and apprehension slowly filled her chest as she realized the full graveness of the situation. She released a shaky breath as she turned and walked. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she yanked open the door to Claus's car. Her mind raced.

_Where do I go?_

_I only have one shot at this._

She just drove**.**

The Doctor's eyes followed Maggie's figure as she left. A companion who actually did as they were told…..that was new. Clever girl.

"Well then, what now?" the Doctor inquired, the nerves in his arms slowly coming back to life. He flexed his hands and watched the shadow at his feet slowly recede into Claus's shadow. "Are you going to kill me?" the Doctor smiled, his hands latched behind his back as he paced the barn.

Claus remained silent. The Doctor continued.

"Why did you let her go?"

"Oh, well, you know, little Mags had a bit of a crush on me back in the day. I just didn't want her to be hurt. Who knows, maybe I'll even ask her out when I'm finished here," Claus said.

"Oh, but that's not true. Just then that was Claus who she was speaking to, but right now I'm talking to_ you_. And you know who you are," the Doctor said, stopping his pacing.

Claus was silent, his face completely stoic. A light flickered and his eyes, which usually were a mint green shifted to black.

"It's funny, you know. Of all the hosts you could have chosen, you chose quite a weak one."

"Are you implying that you would be a better one, Time Lord?"

The Doctor's eyes swept Claus, or at least the shadow of what once was Claus. He was human, and not just that, but a weak one. His mind and body could only take so much more altering before there would be no vessel left for the real Claus to come back to. He would have to handle this very carefully. A Time Lord's body could handle much more than a human's body, and the he may be able to buy time if he could convince the Varjo Kilpi out of Claus.

The Doctor raised his brows, "Quite possibly, yes. So what do you say then?"

The Varjo Kilpi is silent for a moment. His lips quirked into a smirk and a soft chuckle resonated from his chest and gradually grew into dark laughter.

The Doctor frowned, his jaw clenched.

_Well, it was worth a try._

"Oh, if you only knew," the fake Claus said through his laughter, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"If I _only knew_ what?" the Doctor asked, his brows furrowed together. Claus shook his head slowly.

"The time rift, you don't know what caused it."

"And you do? I'm _almost _positive that it wasn't me this time!" the Doctor shouted, waving his long limbs.

"If I told you, what where would the fun be in that?" Claus smiled, his hand sliding into his pocket, pulling out a small device and flicking it open.

_Vvrrrrrrrooooooooppppp_

The Doctor's head shot around and watched with wide eyes as white streams of light bolted through the room and what looked like a vortex emerged.

The Doctor saw movement in the corner of his eye, but by the time he looked he was already pinned to the ground by Claus.

_Ouch…_The Doctor groaned inwardly. The Varjo Kilpi must have enhanced Claus's physical strength as well, he reasoned.

His legs kicked up trying to kick Claus off of him. The Doctor rolled to the side just swift enough to dodge a blow to the head. His arms shot up and shoved Claus with surprising strength for his thin frame. The Doctor stood stumbled back, attempting to regain his balance before Claus struck again.

As he frantically patted his pockets down, looking for his sonic screwdriver, a gleam of green caught his eye. He looked up and saw that his sonic had been flung across the room. The Doctor briefly made eye-contact with Claus, and they both paused before the Doctor leapt towards his screwdriver. Claus grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and threw him towards the vortex.

The Doctor latched onto Claus's arms and both of them froze. The lights cut off.

_Splash!_

The Doctor tensed, feeling flecks of something wet hitting his face. He felt something thick and sticky trailing densely down Claus's forearms, coating the Doctor's palms with…._something_. Something _red_. He released his hold and stepped back.

The lights flickered back on. The Doctor tasted the red substance on his palm.

_Paint._

There was a growl.

Slowly, a grin flitted across the Doctor's features and he turned to face the newcomer .

"Well….hello again."

**Also, side note, the "j" in Varjo Kilpi is pronounced like a Spanish "j" so it's an "h" sound. It literally means "shadow shield" so I thought it was pretty cool. :)**

**Thoughts? Comments? Reviews would be amazing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own the Doctor or the TARDIS, I just own Maggie and my plots.**

_A few moments earlier….._

"Okay….okay," Maggie breathed, keeping her eyes trained on the road. She couldn't actually believe she was doing this. In fact, she found it difficult to believe that Claus had actually let her drive his car. She shook her head.

_ The Varjo Kilpi or whatever must be messing with his head…_

The car rolled to a stop. She unclipped her seatbelt and leapt out, breaking into a run towards the TARDIS. She barely slid into a stop, jiggling the door handle. With a final shove, it opened.

Her hand buried itself into her hair as she looked around, chewing on her lip.

"Okay…..what do I do…" she trailed off, her eyes resting on the frozen figure of Wolfie. Slowly, she stepped towards the creature. It still looked as if someone had hit pause on it, mid-snarl. She stopped less than a foot from it, gingerly tracing a finger across a tuft of fur.

_"I temporarily froze it in time, like a time capsule," he said folding his arms. "It's a combination of a perception filter, a normal storage container, and a very small and weak time lock. I invented it myself."_

Maggie replayed the Doctor's words in her head a few times as she slowly pet Wolfie.

_If it's a time lock then…maybe it could be broken._

Maggie thought, stroking the fur. She pulled her hand back as she noticed something that resembled a combination of fine netting and a jell-like substance. It was unnoticeable until touched.

_Maybe…._

She extended her arm back to the fur and carefully balled her hand into a fist, pulling back ever so slightly. The film seemed to stretch. She pulled back a little harder and the quiet of the TARDIS was shattered with a loud _POP!_

She stumbled, falling onto her backside, still holding the film-like substance. She gaped as a low growl emitted from Wolfie.

Its ears twitched, and it turned its head towards Maggie.

_Shit._

Maggie held her breath, not daring to move an inch as it slowly stalked over to her.

The creature stopped and lowered its head. Maggie shut her eyes as she felt hot breath on her face.

_Well….this is it._

She thought, clenching her eyes shut and bracing for the worst. Something wet nudged against her forehead and her eyes sprung open. Wolfie's snout hovered over her head, his nose nudging her now on the shoulder.

Maggie blinked a few times, warily reaching her hand out and petting his head. Her mouth hung ajar for a moment, recalling Claus's words:

"_It was all a matter of triggers. Some of the creatures coming through the portal had sensitivity to triggers like colors, in the case of our little wolf friend."_

"_Ohhh….._I see. You're friendly without those triggers aren't you?" she muttered, a smile creeping across her face as she climbed back to her feet. Wolfie's eyes remained locked on her with an unusual intensity.

"Can you…can you understand me?" she asked, looking into the seemingly intelligent eyes of Wolfie.

Wolfie gave a slight whimper, and nodded its head.

"Would you mind giving me a hand with something? No pun intended," Maggie remarked slyly. Wolfie's ears perked and he quirked his head.

_Present_

"_Well, hello again._"

"What's up, Doc?" Maggie said, leaning against the doorframe, holding the empty paint can Wolfie stalked slowly towards the paint-slicked Claus.

"No…" Claus muttered, looking down at the paint dripping down his form. He raised his eyes to Wolfie, and the floorboards creaked as he warily stepped back.

Another sharp tearing sound bulleted through the air, all three looked to the rift.

"It's getting out of control!" the Doctor shouted as the rift grew wider and brighter.

"What is that?" Maggie yelled over the noise of the rift.

"The time rift that brought me here," the Doctor replied, turning back to Claus.

"No!" Claus roared suddenly, sounding seemingly inhuman. A large dark smoke-like wisp of emerged from his mouth. The black of his eyes faded to his original minty green.

"No…" Claus muttered, falling to his knees. He looked around, wide-eyed, "It's gone."

Maggie furrowed her brow, "Wait….what?" she said looking back at the Doctor. The vortex seemed to increase in ferocity, winds sucking miscellaneous objects into its gaping mouth.

"Maggie, watch out!" Claus yelled. Maggie spun around and stumbled backwards with a yelp as Wolfie swatted a massive paw at her. It bared its teeth and Maggie caught a glimpse at its eyes, which looked like two black pits, much like Claus's had previously.

"It's in him! The Varjo Kilpi's in the wolf!" Maggie yelled to the Doctor as she slowly stepped away without turning her back to the creature. The winds grew stronger and sucked contents of the barn into the vortex. Maggie nearly slid back from the force of the winds.

"Grab a hold of something sturdy!" the Doctor replied.

"But the—"

"Just do it!" the Doctor cut her off, and looked at Claus. "Claus, you too, hold on!"

Claus didn't move, he just stood silently staring at the giant wolf.

"No."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor asked incredulously. He took a firm hold of a metal beam, reaching a hand to Claus, while warily watching the possessed wolf creep nearer.

"I caused this mess…." Claus trailed off. The wind was dangerously powerful now. Maggie clung desperately to a column and watched.

"Claus…" she said, but her voice was drowned out by the vortex.

"No!" Claus shouted lunging at the wolf creature and yanking it off balance. It bared its teeth, scraping Claus with its claws. That one push was all it needed with the violent winds thrashing the pair towards the vortex. They went flying. The creature lost its grip on Claus and vanished into the vortex. Claus managed to latch on to a piece of wooden board and he hung with one arm, the other hanging limply and blood-stained by his side.

All the loose contents of the barn, large equipment and all soared through the rift.

"Claus!" the Doctor shouted, reaching out for him. Claus raised his head and met the Doctor's eyes. He smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry…..all I wanted was a good story," he said, his fingers loosening.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, his extended arm stretching to its limits. Maggie held on to the beam and shouted to Claus, but the wind was too loud.

He let go.

The Doctor lunged for him, but the rift closed. The Doctor landed on the ground with a thud. A blank silence descended upon them. Maggie slowly unclenched her grip on the column, her muscles tense and ears ringing. She rose to her feet and walked to where the Doctor sat. She plopped down next to him. The Doctor sat back on his knees, looking at Maggie, who maintained a baffled expression.

"So…..wow."

"Yeah, I know," the Doctor said with a small sad smile.

Maggie looked to where the rift had been.

"He never meant to do that."

"I know," the Doctor said.

"Do you think he'll make it out alive?"

"Who knows, it could have sent him anywhere," the Doctor shrugged, climbing to his feet and dusting off his tweed jacket.

"So that's that then? No more Varjo Kilpi, experiments, or weird fairytale creatures?" Maggie inquired incredulously. The Doctor smiled, extending her a hand and she moved to her feet.

"Ah, well I wouldn't exactly say that! They aren't in this town anyway," The Doctor smiled, nodding his head towards Claus's car. Looking at it she felt a pang of regret. They drove off.

The orange glow of the TARDIS gave a surrealistic distortion to the skyline. A smile worked its way across Maggie's face.

"Close the door, it's cold out there!" The Doctor shouted from the upper level railing. Maggie looked over to him. The Doctor leapt down the stairs and gestured her over. She pulled the door closed and walked over.

"So…..well, it was nice meeting you and thanks for everything," Maggie smiled, a hint of sadness seeping into her voice. She extended her hand.

He looked down and stared at her extended hand and made no move to take it. He met her eyes. Maggie's hand slowly dropped back to her side.

"About that….." the Doctor trailed off, before glancing around. "I was wondering, well I've been traveling alone for a while and—"

"Are you asking me to come with you?" Maggie interjected. A smile involuntarily gracing her lips.

"Well, yes, I am," he said with a shy smile.

"Hold on, finish what you were saying," she said.

"Sorry, what?"

"Ask me," Maggie smiled.

The Doctor stared at her in confusion for a moment before it registered. His eyes lit up.

"Maggie, would you like to come with me?"

"Yes!" she said, nearly toppling him over with a hug. "You have no idea."

The Doctor regained his balance and looked down at her, returning her hug. He smiled.

"Geronimo."

**Well, there you go! This one's done, but there are more to come. :) Thank you for reading! **


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